How do you store your spices?

[Tap]

I just dumped out all my old spices and replaced them with fresh. I have been buying Penzy's Spices for a few years and knew it was time to just do a clean sweep, replacing some OLD standbys with fresh Penzys.

 

I have been using small jam jars to store my Penzys spices (that I buy in the plastic bags) in a drawer and really like this method....but I do wonder.....what do other people do?

 

I now have 20+ empty spice jars soaking in the sink to pull off the old labels. They are too tall for my drawer and wouldn't hold enough to get rid of the plastic bags, so I think I may have to figure out if I have another use for them or not. Any suggestions for those? I guess they can hold craft supplies like glitter, but I would like think of something a bit more creative. Any ideas?

 

FYI for Portland Oregon, Seattle Wash...a new Penzys store is now in the Pearl District in Portland (joining the one in Clackamas) and one just opened near Pikes in Seattle too.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Tap, tap, tap

[Punchie]

I just keep them in their plastic bags, in a topless tupperware container in my cabinet.

[Mommee & Baba]

My spices are kept in their jars or if they are homegrown I place them in a baggie and label them...All my spices are stored on a spice rack my grandmother built me 12 years ago and I love it! It's huge. Has 4 tiers and storage behind them. It's huge and PACKED full!

[cjzimmer1]

I buy most of my spices from Ameriherb in bulk 1 lb bags. I have small glass jars (about 4 inches high) that fit nicely in my drawer in front of serving/cooking utensils. The remainder of the bags I keep in the freezer so they stay fresh until I need them.

[Nestof3]

Like this. I have larger containers of several of them which I store in my pantry. I refill the smaller jars as needed. I keep the items I use primarily for baking in a container within the drawer -- extracts, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

[Annie]

Poorly. Is poorly a option?

[Laurie in Life]

All of ours are stored in Penzey's bottles, on the inside of one of our cabinets. For years we just stacked them on top of one another and then when we renovated, we went for the spice cabinet doors. One of the best decisions we made since we probably make and eat nearly all of our meals at home and having to move those jars around used to drive me crazy!

[LauraGB]

I have a long pantry cupboard that had spice shelves (at least, I think that's what they are) built into the two doors, so I have all those packed with them. I buy my spices in bulk and refill the jars, so most of the jars are really old (some are at least 15 years old), but with others I use the Ball jelly jar size because they fit in the shelves.

[RoughCollie]

I keep my spices in glass jars. The ones I have a lot of are in canning jars of various sizes.

 

I have inserts in a kitchen drawer for spice jars, similar to this:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00177249

[kalanamak]

I got a variety of Penzey's little science bottles, and they have lasted years and years and years. So, glass, in a dark cabinet, not above the stove. I have them on risers, and grouped by cuisine....baking spices here, chili powder/mexican oregano/ancho peppers here, etc.

[kalanamak]

Poorly. Is poorly a option?

 

No one with spices is poor.

[BeckyFL]

Like this. I have larger containers of several of them which I store in my pantry. I refill the smaller jars as needed. I keep the items I use primarily for baking in a container within the drawer -- extracts, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

Oh my goodness! Thank you for this picture. You are going to save me so much time! Labeling on top... why I don't think of these things, I'll never know.

[Nestof3]

You cannot imagine how long I had them unlabeled (except for the ones that came prelabeled). I got so sick of picking them all up to find what I was looking for.

 

Oh my goodness! Thank you for this picture. You are going to save me so much time! Labeling on top... why I don't think of these things, I'll never know.

[Alyce]

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=wood+spice+rack+handmade

 

They are hand made and can be hung anywhere. My cabinets were piling up with spices and it was hard to see what was behind the first ones. I one of these up on the wall near my pantry and it hold my spices beautifully. I can see the labels, don't need to put them in anything else and have room in my cabinets for other things.

[Chrystal]

I keep mine in small glass canning jars in a dark pantry away from the heat of the oven or stove. The only things I keep near the stove are salt and pepper because they are used up before the heat would affect them.